The Tories introduced the 50% strike ballot threshold to make industrial action harder. MATT WRACK argues that a Labour government has no justification for leaving it on the statute book
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Council cuts: enough is enough
If the regime of cuts to council budgets continues, we can expect more and more people to refuse to implement them, writes GORDON MUNRO
In the wake of Ann Widdecombe’s murder, JOHN GREEN wonders whether the government will really get to grips with the root cause of these attacks on our MPs
The new PM’s opening addresses offered hope, council homes and reform — but little detail on how any of it will be delivered, warns CLAUDIA WEBBE
Despite the screeching from the right-wing media, Burnham’s speech chimed with the public mood - and socialists should take advantage, says Morning Star editor BEN CHACKO
Scotland's Labour leader cannot continue to evade responsibility for the party's decline, argues LAUREN HARPER
Nature as well as society works dialectically, asserts the Marx Memorial Library and Workers’ School
THE “dented shield” is broken, unable to protect — and all that’s left for Scotland’s councils is to set the terms of surrender. Since 2013/14 when police and fire were removed from local council scrutiny and control, Audit Scotland point out that council budgets have reduced by 7.6 per cent in real terms.
But for most councils it’s worse than that. From 2013/14 to 2018/19 core revenue funding for Fife was cut by 7.8 per cent; North Lanarkshire 10.0 per cent; Glasgow 10.5 per cent and Edinburgh 11.4 per cent.
This is one of many reasons why Labour councillors such as Mary Lockhart supported by Independent Linda Holt (Fife), Angela Feeney (North Lanarkshire), Matt Kerr (Glasgow) and myself took the difficult decision to go against the whip in support of our communities, our councils and — for those of us who are Labour councillors — to support party policy against austerity by saying “enough is enough.”
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Years of underfunding are eroding Scotland’s local services and deepening inequality in communities, says VINCE MILLS
Cuts are sweeping campuses as cash-strapped universities slash staff and politicians fail to act on a growing funding emergency. VINCE MILLS reports
